The Buccaneers’ ground game finally looked like the force Tampa Bay expected, and Kenneth Gainwell was right in the middle of it.
In Week 8’s win over the Falcons, Gainwell piled up 140 rushing yards on 25 carries as the Buccaneers rolled to 324 rushing yards as a team. He said the performance matched the kind of outing he had been waiting for.
“It felt good just getting out there and doing it together,” Gainwell said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “You know, that’s basically what I anticipated at the beginning of the season happening.
Time comes with patience, but I was excited about what we did on Sunday. We got on the ground, we got it moving.
The guys up front were doing their jobs, and we did what we did.”
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said the team sees Gainwell and Bucky Irving as a true tandem, with a “1A, 1B” setup. Irving had 27 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown in the same game, and Bowles said the Buccaneers are starting to use Gainwell the way they envisioned.
“I think we finally got to where we’re utilizing Kenny more and more, and that’s kind of the 1A, 1B we were talking about when we first signed him,” Bowles said. “Not to the degree of the carries, 27 and 25, but at the same time we know he’s a great running back and he can do a lot of things for us, and he put it on display Sunday.”
Gainwell also said the weather played into the way the game unfolded. He liked the feel of the matchup in the rain and mud, and he credited the offensive line for setting the tone.
“It most definitely was fun,” Gainwell said. “I had an awful lot of fun playing in the mud, playing in the rain.
Just having fun with the big guys up front. We’re just trying to what we do best, run behind guys who love blocking.”
In Atlanta, Bijan Robinson is looking at Week 9 against the Bengals as more than just another game on the schedule. The Falcons sit at 3-5, and Robinson said Sunday has the chance to shift the mood inside the building.
“I think every game is a statement game, but for us, this game right here is something that can be a culture changer in the building,” Robinson said, via Ben Baby of ESPN. “And for us, we know what this game means and what it’s going to mean at the end of the season.”
He made it clear the Falcons need to treat it like a must-win.
“This would be up for us to come together and even closer at the team and just see who we are,” Robinson said. “ And yeah, this is a great team that we’re playing up against. But for us, we got to come in here with the mindset of we have to get the job done and we’ll see what the rest happens later on.”
Robinson enters Week 9 ranked No. 4 in the league with 100.6 rushing yards per game, but he said he still hasn’t hit his best level.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t feel like I’m playing like that right now,” Robinson said. “I got to be better.
I got to be better for this team. I got to be better for the offense.”
In Carolina, the Panthers made a major defensive change by firing DC Ejiro Evero and passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. Safety Nick Scott said GM Dan Morgan was the first person to tell him, and he said he understood the move.
“Dan Morgan gave me a call - that was the first person I heard it from, which I really appreciated,” Scott said, via Mike Kaye of ESPN. “And the message was - it was the decision they had to make, I respected it and I know they had a job to do. Wish [Cooley] and [Evero] the best of luck, thank them for the role they had in my career to this point, and now we’re looking forward to this next game.”
EDGE Princely Umanmielen said the firing caught him off guard.
“I was genuinely shocked,” Umanmielen said. “Like I was genuinely surprised, especially it happening in the middle of the season. Something that I wouldn’t have expected at all.”
He also said Todd Wash, who was promoted from defensive line coach to interim coordinator, should naturally lean on the defensive front.
“I guess you could say it’s cool because you know he’s going to have a little bias there with the D-line,” Umanmielen said. “Him being a D-lineman himself, I’m assuming that he would want to see the D-line be successful game in and game out, so it’s nice to have a coach with that bias.”
In Other News...
Falcons Face A Brutal Week 9 Test After Their Latest Offensive Letdown
Week 9 is shaping up as one of the most interesting stretches of the 2026 season, with the trade deadline looming on Nov. 10 and several teams trying to sort out where they stand before the market closes. For Tampa Bay, the spotlight lands on a matchup with the Bears, a game that carries more weight than a typical midseason meeting because both clubs are trying to keep pace in their divisions while navigating the ripple effects of roster moves and injuries around the league.
The Bears arrive with momentum after a recent trade that bolstered the middle of their defense, and that only adds to the challenge for a Buccaneers team looking to make a statement in the NFC race. It is the kind of game that can say a lot about where Tampa Bay really stands, especially with the deadline approaching and every result starting to feel like part of a larger October and November push. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Reliable Edge At The Perfect Time
Chase McLaughlin has quietly become one of the most dependable pieces on Tampa Bays roster, and the timing could hardly be better. The kicker was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month after a spotless October, when he converted all 18 of his kicks and drilled seven field goals, a stretch that pushed him to the top of the NFL scoring race and extended his run of made field goals to 19 straight.
For a Buccaneers team trying to keep its footing as the season moves deeper into November, having that kind of stability on special teams matters. There was also some encouraging movement elsewhere on the practice field, with receiver Emeka Egbuka back after a foot injury and defensive lineman Elijah Roberts returning from illness, giving Tampa Bay a little more depth as it waits to see how the rest of the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Face A Tristan Wirfs Concern Before Bears Game
A late-week injury report has put a familiar name in a less comfortable spot for Tampa Bay heading into its Week 9 matchup with the Bears. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs was added after missing practice because of a toe injury, leaving his status for Sunday uncertain at a position the Buccaneers can least afford to shuffle.
If Wirfs is unable to go, the next man up would likely be Ben Chukwuma at left tackle, a significant development for an offensive line that has to help keep the game plan on schedule. Todd Bowles is expected to update Wirfs status in the coming media sessions, and for now the Buccaneers are left waiting on one of their most important players. [Read more 🡒]